1. Field of the Invention
The field of the invention is devices adapted to be secured to the front console and dashboard of automobiles and other motor vehicles to secure for the convenience of the driver and passengers, drink containers, coffee cups, and other small food and non-food items.
2. Description of Related Art
Motorists have long enjoyed the convenience of having coffee, soft drinks, small packaged food items, and the like with them while traveling in their motor vehicles. However, manufacturers of motor vehicles, although perhaps recognizing the desire for such conveniences, have not been particularly adept in providing trays or other receptacles for securing the cups, soft drink cans, or other small food items. Some attempts have been made by automotive manufacturers to provide horizontal surfaces to rest soft drink containers on, sometimes with a pair or so of shallow, hollowed out, disk shaped indentations on the dashboard or front console of the motor vehicle, however, such efforts to secure the drink containers against tipping have been notably unsuccessful. In addition, some manufacturers of motor vehicles have placed disk shaped indentations on the inside of the glove compartment door to receive drink containers, however, like the attempts made in the central portion of the console, the circular indentations will not secure a drink container against spilling its contents or tipping over during the various movements that the motor vehicle normally goes through.
Now there have been various devices known to the Inventor for securing drink containers, coffee cups, and small food and non-food items which have apparently served their stated purpose. For example, Lee, in U.S. Pat. No. 2,546,459, discloses an automobile tray secured to automotive instrument panels which pulls out from underneath the dashboard and permits the securing of drink containers and also provides a flat surface to support other small items. Similarly, Weddington, in U.S. Pat. No. 2,829,779, also discloses a service tray for automobile instrument panels which is secured to the automobile instrument panel for holding small articles and containers of liquid and the like against spillage or movement.
Other receptacles and holders have been devised for securing liquid filled containers, such as the device shown by DuBois in U.S. Pat. No. 3,201,072, for an under-the-dashboard container which slides out for use, providing both a shallow tray to receive various items and a rather deep container to hold soft drink cans and the like. Lastly, Kahn, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,724,986, discloses a beverage receptacle holder which is secured to the interior of the passenger vehicle dashboard and provides a receptacle for receiving coffee cups and soft drink cans.
While all the above inventions describe suitable receptacles to secure cups and beverage cans, as well as small non-food items, yet they all require installation brackets and other securing means for attachment to the motor vehicle dashboard and front console, requiring, in many cases, the drilling of holes and the screwing of sheet metal screws into the motor vehicle console and dashboard. Consequently, if the drink receptacle and holder is removed, unsightly scarring and damage is left on the dashboard and front console.
It is far better that a drink holder and other small item receptacle for conveniently providing ready accessibility to coffee cups, soft drink cans, and small food and non-food items adapt to the front console and dashboard assembly provided by the motor vehicle manufacturer and be secured in place without having to modify the front console and dashboard assembly with the attachment of structural pieces requiring drilling of holes to receive sheet metal screws or other various similar methods of attachment, all resulting in the scarring of the front console and dashboard assembly.
Accordingly, it would be useful to have a drink holder and small items receptacle for motor vehicles which provides a stable platform to receive and secure soft drink cans and other containers, but which utilizes compartments and other conveniences that the motor vehicle manufacturers have built into their front console and dashboard assemblies as a means to secure the drink holder to the vehicle.